Improved stopper for bottles



"wl" Y UNITED STATES trier@ PATEN ALBERT ALBERTSON, OF NE\V YORK, N. Y., ASSIG-NOR TO J. N. MCINTIRE, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVE!) STOPPER FOR BOTTLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 14,9MS2, dated November l, 1834.

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT ALBERTsoN, of New York, of the county of New York, in the State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Stopping Bottles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a 'l'ull and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this application.

My present invention relates more particularly to a bottle and stopper intended i'or bottling still liquors, (but may be used to advantage with all liquids), and has for its object to accomplish the closing ofthe .mouth of the bottle by a stopper contained within the bottle, and so constructed that as the bottle is iilled the contained liquid will iioat the stopper into position for closing the bottle, which may be rendered more complete by taking hold oi' the protruding end of the stopper and pulling it outward; and to these ends my invention consistsin astopper formed of a valve or mouth closing portion, a iioat and a hand piece, the whole so arranged together that it may be inserted or forced through the neck of the bottle (into its interior or body) and will be floated upward into the neck of the bottle by the operation of filling the bottle with any liquid, all as hereinafter more fully described.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the saine, referring by letters to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application, in which- Figure l is a vertical section of a soda-water bottle with my invention adapted thereto, and Fig. 2 is a similar view ot' another bottle, and illustrating a modification of my iniproved stopping device.

I will describe, first, the construction shown at Fig. l. In this view, A is the bottle, the neck b of which should be formed with an annular shoulder on the interior, as seen at c. The stopper is composed or" a float, E, of cork or other material, (whose specific gravity is much less than that of watcr,) from which extends a stem, E, formed with a knob-like upper end, and a Valve or closing portion, D, which I have shown as formed of rubber and surrounding the stem E immediately above the cork or iioat F. The valve portion E is made nearly conical in shape and hollow at its upper (larger) portion, as clearly shown, so that it may be readily compressed or squeezed through the mouth and neck of the bottle down past the shoulder c, and so that by attempting to pull it back through the neck of the bottle the upper edge of the valve will be caused to impinge against the annular shoulder c, and be by thelattcr upset or bulged outward,

and thc valve be thereby wedged tightly into the neck of the bottle and the latterbeeiectir ally closed. The entire length of the stopping device D E F, it will be seen, is greater than the diameter of the bottle, so that after the stopper is supplied to theinterior of the bottle it cannot become deranged therein by being turned upside down.

It will be understood that with a bottle and stopper as shown, when the former is iilled with any liquid, the iloat F will ascend as the .liquid is poured in, and cause the handle or stein E to protrude through the mouth of the bottle, and the valve D to rise against the shoulder c. If necessary, the adjustment of the stopper to its seat may be assisted by the finger of the illcr or operator moving the upper end of stem E toward the center of the mouth or neck of the bottle, whereby the mouth of the bottle will be closed. rBhe mere iioating of the stopper up to its seat may not often effect a sufficiently close joint between the valve D and the neck of the bottle, (at the shoulder c and immediately below it,) and the operator should therefore take hold oi' the knob or upper end of stem E and pull the stopper upward until its valve is wedged su'tlieiently tight into the seat in the `neck of the bottle to insure a perfectly tight joint and airtight stopping of the bottle.

At Fig. 2 I have shown the stopper formed of two spheres, G and H, and a stein, E, the upper and smaller globe, G, acting as a valve in the neck of the bottle, and the lower and larger globe, H, acting as aiioat. In this modi` iication I have illustrated the stopper as if lformed entirely of rubber, the stem portionl being tolerably hard and stiff, while the globes G and H are of soft rubber and hollow. By this mode of construction an efficient stopper is formed. The lower globe, I-I, it will be seen will act as a iloat in a manner similar to that just described of F, Fig. 1. In this case I have shown the interior of the neekof the bottle of a slightly different shape, and so formed that the ball G can be more readily squeezed through in one direction than in the other, so that while the stopper may be easily forced down into the bottle, it cannot be very readily forced out again. The globe H should be made sufficiently thin and collapsible to pass down through the neck b readily. (It may have a small hole in its lower portion, through which the contained air can escape in squeezing the ball through the neck of the bottle. The air could not escape before the pressure of the liquid from beneath.) Vith this modification as well as with that previously de* scribed, the valve G should be pulled upward tightly into its seat by the operator.

To open and discharge the contents of a bottle closed as described by my invention, it is only necessary to push the stem of the stopper inward (by pressing on its protruding knob or end) to loosen the valve from its seat in the neck of the bottle and then invert the bottle, when the entire stopper will float toward the base of the bottle and allow the contents to run freely out at the mouth.

It will be understood that my invention is subject to various modifications of form without departing from its spirit, and that I do not propose to limit myself to any precise form, so long as the float is located at a proper distance from the valve to insure the latter being elevated to its seat without filling the bottle quite, and so long as the stopper cannot turn over in the bottle and has a means of being readily pulled into its seat tight from without the bottle.

In lieu of the protruding stem, a ring or 2 Mete wire or string might be attached to the upper part of the valve,-.which could be caught hold of by the operator; but I deem the construction shown best, and have found it to work successfully in practice.'

I am aware that it has been suggested to employ a simple floating ball within the bottle to act as a stopper. This device is not practical for several reasons, (and therefore does not conflict with my invention, which works successfully.) In therst place there are many cases in which it is not expedient or desired to fill the bottle quite, (particularly in bottling soda-water.) In such cases a simple iloating ball cannot, of course, be ever floated by the liquid to its seat in the neck of the bottle. In the next place where still liquors are bottled, the simple oating ball will not oat sufiiciently tight against its bearing to insure a tight joint, and not being forced or wedged in tight, any accidental tipping of the bottle will cause the emptying of it. In the next place, even with gaseous liquids the simple float-ball will not operate, because with such liquids the bottle is never filled full enough to oat the ball to its seat, (and there being no other manner in which it can get to its seat no closing will be effected.)

Having fully explained my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A stopper constructed and adapted to operate within a bottle, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof Ihave hereunto set my hand and seal this 6th day of October, 1864.

ALBERT ALBERTSON. [L s] Witnesses:

ANDREW J. TODD, J. N. MCINTIRE.

MMA. 

